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Good morning! It will be cold with a chance of snow today. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will start his day in New York City, where he’ll join many other election officials for the funeral of ex-NYC Mayor Ed Koch. Today’s budget hearing will deal with environmental conservation, and the Senate will also hold a hearing around the confirmation of Court of Appeals nominee Jenny Rivera. The Association of Counties meets up at the Desmond Hotel & Conference Center in Colonie; Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is scheduled to speak this evening. The Skleinos Coalition will release the report of its Sandy task force at 2:30 this afternoon. There will be anti-fracking protesters, firefighters, and birds of prey (really!) at the Capitol lobbying. Here are today’s headlines…

Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. filed over $67,000 in questionable per diem payments, a review by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found. The review, which has not been made public, compared Boylands per diem requests with toll, bank, and telephone records. Boyland is under a separate federal indictment. (TU)

A Cuomo administration official tells the Buffalo News that it will propose permitting a fourth casino in Niagara Falls, a direct affront on the Seneca Nation of Indians and a compact that lets it exclusively operate casinos in Western New York. The Senecas have not paid revenue sharing under that agreement. (BN)

Taxes by any other name? Revenue items in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget are drawing criticism from Republicans. (TU)

Sources tell Fred Dicker that the governor will impose a teacher evaluation on New York City in his Feb. 22 budget amendments. (NYP)

“I can do more for Syracuse right here,” said Sen. John DeFrancisco, 66, who described the current circle of elected leaders with major influence in Central New York as “the most cooperative I’ve seen in 35 years of public service. Everyone talks to each other. Everyone tries to work things out. When we disagree, we disagree, but at least you can tell each other how you feel.” (Post-Standard)

Chambers of commerce in New York City are uniting to lobby for smaller businesses. (Crain’s)

Dan Janison: The trendiest of fiscal slogans and buzz-phrases are now flying over Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ‘s proposal to quickly reduce pension expenses for local governments and school districts. (Newsday)

Susan Del Percio on the GOP-IDC coalition: Moreover, it may be the best hope that Cuomo has of keeping a strong negotiating partner. The governor is keenly aware of what happened over the two years—2009–10—that Democrats held control over both the Senate and Assembly, as well as the executive branch. Taxes and fees went through the roof; property taxes increased and the MTA payroll tax went through, too.//The truth is the governor recognizes the need for fiscal restraint and lower taxes; without this approach people and businesses will leave the state in droves. In fact, the worst case for the governor is to have the two legislative houses pushing further and further to the left, because he understands that our economy is just too fragile to endure the reckless spending that would result from the shift. (C&S)

Fred LeBrun on Thruway layoffs: These are not the people who should be held accountable for the historic mismanagement of the Thruway Authority, mismanagement that has been well-documented by the comptroller’s office, by the governor’s SAGE commission, even by a consultant hired by the authority itself.//Nor should these workers be sacrificed because we have yet another governor with an edifice complex. (TU)

Alexis Grenell says redistricting could imbue sexism into a New York City Council district. (C&S)

The Times Union: Grudging acceptance is not only not support, it’s deceit. It’s a way for lawmakers to squirm away from the question of whether they would change the law if they could — which someday they may well be able to do if the U.S. Supreme Court tilts far enough to the right to overturn Roe v. Wade.//New York’s passage of a Reproductive Health Act, then, would be an opportunity for the state to protect a woman’s right to choose regardless of the political tilt of the high court. (TU)

About Capitol Confidential

Capitol Confidential gathers the best coverage of New York politics and puts it all together. Each section - Capitol, The State Worker, New York on the Potomac, and Voices - represents a unique facet of the political scene. The Capitol section features coverage from the Times Union Capitol bureau. The State Worker is dedicated to state worker issues. New York on the Potomac offers news of interest to New Yorkers from Washington. And Voices features the best of everything else, pointing you to columnists and bloggers from across the Web.